March 23, 2015

YUM, a Boutique Bakery, opens on West 39th Street

Pastry Chef An Beard Zebley has always had a fascination with the idealized version of the picture-perfect 1950s housewife, baking the day away in her state-of-the-art pink or turquoise kitchen.

Now she has opened a new bakery/showroom, YUM, a Boutique Bakery, that combines those two interest, offering treats just like Grandma used to make even as it sells the appliances she’d have used to make them.

Zebley, a 2008 graduate of the pastry and culinary program at Johnson County Community College, realized her passion for mid-century kitchen kitsch when she began collecting appliances, plateware and utensils from the ‘50s and ‘60s and selling them under the name Magpie at Le Fou Flea, an antique mall in the West Bottoms.

When the owner of Le Fou Flea expressed interest in having coffee and pastries in the shop, Zebley offered to make cookies, cupcakes and candies. That was the beginning of Zebley’s second booth, and YUM, a Boutique Bakery was born.

Over the last year, Zebley has developed quite a following for her baked goods at Le Fou Flea. She’d begun catering for birthday parties, baby showers and holiday gatherings to make ends meet.

Then the owner of Metuka Pastra House, whose 39th Street kitchen Zebley had been using, approached her, saying she was thinking about retiring. She asked if Zebley would purchase the bakery.

Zebley saw the possibilities immediately.

“I knew I could make it into a space that could continue to serve as my commissary kitchen for Le Fou Flea, and as a stand-alone bakery servicing the people who lived in the area,” she says.

With sparkling chandeliers above, and a new coat of paint in a retro turquoise that makes the sheer pink curtains pop like cotton candy, you can see Zebley’s 1950’s fantasy kitchen coming to life even as she continues to work on the space, preparing for opening day.

“I plan to display my antique kitchen artifacts from Magpie in the bakery, and I will be selling them along with my pastries,” Zebley says.

YUM should be a good fit for its strip of 39th Street. Just up the street are Retro Vixen and Rock Candy, clothing stores that specialize in new and vintage women’s clothes and accessories. In the opposite direction is Donna’s Dress Shop, a beloved local women’s boutique that also sells new and vintage clothing and accessories.

The bakery will sell pastries and sweets using real butter, quality ingredients and seasonal flavors that will change each week. Coconut macarons are Zebley’s signature item – she makes traditional, strawberry and German chocolate – but she’ll also have fruit-filled hand pies, caramel-filled brownies, cakes, fruit tarts and cookies.

Zebley says, “I’ll have a lot more room to experiment with more types of pastries and flavors now that I have this kitchen all to myself.”

YUM will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 8am – 3pm with extended hours on Saturday.